Do you need council consent for a bathroom renovation?

Bathroom renovations can be tricky when considering whether council consent is needed. Brian Johns from Refresh Design provides some factors to think about when you are about to renovate your bathroom.

Simple bathroom renovation with freestanding bath
ARTICLE Brian Johns

A question that always requires a bit of thought before answering, seemingly simple but not always the case.
I’m currently working on a bathroom renovation where the existing room is being split in half, creating two bathrooms. In this case, it’s a reasonable shift away from the original bathroom layout, plus an increase in plumbing fixtures, which all requires building consent.
With bathroom renovations, there are two areas to be considered. Firstly, is the bathroom changing structurally? For example, removing an adjoining wall between an existing separate toilet and adjoining bathroom.
A question you should ask, is the adjoining wall structure possibly supporting part of the roof. It is worth a look in the roof space if you own a villa, bungalow or a house built prior to the 70s.
Secondly, changes to plumbing. A consent isn’t required if you are not increasing the number of sanitary fittings. You can reposition a vanity, bath, shower or toilet within an existing bathroom space; move a toilet from a separate compartment to an adjoining bathroom; or remove a bath with a shower over and replace with proprietary shower unit; all without needing consent. However, putting in a tiled wet area shower will require consent.
So on the matter of replacing a shower over bath with a separate shower over bath, and so on, as an extra waste, it would be up to the individual council if building consent was required. A homeowner contemplating this should check with their council first. If you have any doubts about the work to be undertaken, consult an architect, designer, or your local council for advice.

You might be interested in reading: The renovation consent process.

Renovate Magazine Logo
This article by Brian Johns featured on page 30 of Issue 014 of Renovate Magazine. Renovate Magazine is an easy to use resource providing fresh inspiration and motivation at every turn of the page.

Get in touch with Refresh to discuss your home renovation project

If you would like to discuss options for your bathroom renovation project, please use the enquiry form on this page to provide us with your contact details. We will get in touch with you at a time that suits you to discuss your project. If you would like to provide us with more information about your project, we have a more comprehensive enquiry form on our "Get in touch" page too.
*All information is believed to be true at time of publishing and is subject to change.

No items found.

Read Next

All Refresh Renovations franchises are independently owned and operated.

Get in Touch

Get in touch if you are interested in a quote or consultation

If your enquiry is not related to renovating your home, you may wish to use one of our other enquiry forms to ensure your message reaches the right team:

(Don’t worry - if you change your mind you can unsubscribe anytime)

Please Wait ...

Processing...

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Reno now,
pay later.

Talk to us about finance options

Talk to a renovation consultant today

If you would like to find out how Refresh Renovations can support you with a high quality, efficient home renovation, get in touch today. Your local Refresh Renovations consultant will be happy to meet with you for a free, no obligations consultation.

Get in touch